Time
by ModeJeffrey
Summary: Years after the Nighthowler conspiracy, Nick and Judy have become practically inseparable. However, when it is discovered that Judy is not long for this world, their happy lives come crashing down around them. How will Judy come to terms with her inevitable demise? How will Nick cope? And what will they do with what little time they have left?
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

Prologue:  
"You know you love me," Nick said in his slick tone, looking right at Judy.

"Do I know that?" she replied. "Yes, yes I do."

 _Three years later..._  
It was a beautiful day. Birds were singing, the sun was shining, and it was a special day for Nick and Judy. It was the day they joined paws in marriage. After three years of dating, Nick proposed to Judy after patrol one night, and she was so excited, as she was waiting for it from day one. Nick stood in front of both his and Judy's family, looking his fiance in the eyes, and smiled. The priest then spoke. "Do you, Nicholas Wilde, take this Bunny to be your loving wife?"

"I do." Nick avowed.

"And do you, Judith Hopps, take this Fox to be your loving husband?"  
"I do." Judy responded. After the priest spoke some more and Nick and Judy accepted each other's rings, he finally said "Does anyone object to this marriage?" The church was silent.

"Mr. Wilde, you may now kiss the bride." Nick bent over and him and Judy kissed each other on the lips. They were now more than just friends, more than boyfriend and girlfriend, more than finances, they were husband and wife.

 _Four years later..._

Chapter 1: A Shocking Discovery  
Nick woke up to the sound of someone puking. He went to the bathroom, and found Judy hunched over the toilet. "Carrots, what's going on?" Nick asked, with a look of concern on his face.

"I don't know Nick," she replied. "All I do know is that I've been violently throwing up, and my stomach hurts like hell."

"Judy..." Nick said, putting his paw on her shoulder. "you know what this may mean, right?" A big smile ran across his face. "You may be pregnant." She looked at him in shock, and told him "It doesn't feel like it, but you may be right." "I've always wanted a child, and now, my long time dream may come true!" Nick bubbled with glee. "Don't worry, you can still work, I'll be the parent that takes care of the child." Nick knew how important her job was to her, and he didn't want to get in the way of it.

"That's very sweet of you slick," Judy responded, "but we will have to to to the hospital to-" She doubled over in pain, and puked once more.

"Fluff, please come with me. I will help you figure out what's going on. Get dressed, we're leaving in an hour." Judy rushed to her closet, and grabbed some clothes, and put them on in the bedroom while Nick put on his usual Hawaiian shirt, striped tie and khaki pants in the living room, while calling the hospital. They left their apartment, got into Nick's now old convertible, and drove towards the hospital. They would skip breakfast for now, Judy being too sick to eat and Nick just not feeling hungry.

 _Three hours later..._  
Nick sat in the waiting room with Judy, who, after a long series of tests, had dozed off on his shoulder once the nausea wore off, while he simply played on his phone, when the doctor came out.

"Mr. Wilde, may I speak to you and your wife for a second?" he asked.  
Nick put down his phone and said with his usual slick look on his face "Sure doc, what do you  
need?"

"Please, follow me to my office" The doctor said while beckoning them.  
Nick roused Judy and took her by the paw, and followed the doctor back to his office. Nick couldn't explain why, but he had a bad feeling about this, there was a sense of dread, one that he couldn't ignore no matter how hard he tried. When they finally reached the doctor's office, he couldn't take it anymore. "Doc, what's going on?"

"You both may want to be sitting down for this…" The doctor cautioned. Nick glanced at Judy, who seemed to mirror his feelings of worry. Nevertheless, they sat down together in a single seat, and waited for the doctor as he got some paperwork together. After what seemed like hours, he finally addressed them. "I'm afraid that your wife is _not_ pregnant, but, in fact, has an extremely aggressive form of stomach cancer. We have discovered a tumor the size of a golf ball," he turned his computer monitor around, showing them an X-ray that they had taken. Sure enough, there was a cloudy spot in the center of her abdomen. "I am afraid that it is terminal. I'm sorry, there is nothing that can be done. We are guessing she will live for another three months, at most."  
They both stared at the doctor in shock, unsure if they heard him correctly.

"Are… are you sure that it's…" Nick choked out, not even able to finish his sentence.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, we are certain that it is. I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Wilde."  
Judy burst into tears and hugged Nick.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Nick!" She sobbed. Nick hugged her back, barely able to hold back his own tears. The doctor patiently waited for Judy to cry herself out before continuing.

"I'm going to prescribe her some medication that will help with the symptoms, the pain and nausea. I would also recommend looking into hospice care, they'll make sure she's as comfortable as possible. Once again, I'm really sorry, Mr. Wilde…"

"Thank you, doctor." Nick mumbled softly. With that, he picked and carried his exhausted wife, and took her home. The car ride back was mostly silent. Nothing either of them could say would change the harsh reality they faced: Judith Laverne Wilde-Hopps only has a few months left on this Earth...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: False Hope  
"Please Judy, you've got to listen to me!" Nick pleaded. "If you get treatment, you may be able to pull through this! It'll at least give you more time!"  
"I already told you, no. It will only make things worse." She responded.  
Tears started running down his face, as he started to speak, his voice filled with sadness. "Please Judy, I'm begging you! I don't want to lose you, like I lost her…" He started crying harder, as he thought of his mother...  
"Nick…" Judy started, tears running through her fur. "You've got to understand. If I get treatment, it won't work. It may even shorten the amount of time I have left..."  
"Not always! It works sometimes! Please Judy…" He started weeping like a baby, unable to hold back his tears anymore.  
"Nick, listen to me, you've got to understand, not all species are the same. Bunnies are very fragile, and we can't stand harsh treatments like radiation or chemotherapy. They often do more harm than good. I've seen the effects of it, and I'm go through that. I'm so sorry, Nick… I wish there was something we could do, but… there isn't."  
Nick ran over to her and embraced her in his arms. "I can't believe this… oh god…" he said between sobs.  
"Well… maybe the doctor was wrong!" Judy suggested, "I mean, they've been wrong before! He may have misdiagnosed me!"  
Nick sniffled, "M-maybe you're right…" he murmured, with a small smile of hope appearing on his face, but as much as he could hope for the best, he knew this would likely not be the case. He saw Judy put her paw over her mouth, and rush to the bathroom, where she vomited violently. While she was taking care of her business, Nick thought to himself: Calm down, Wilde. You never know, things may get better from here. Unfortunately, he thought wrong. Things would only get much, much worse.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Carrying on  
"Carrots, are you really sure about this? I don't think he will let you stay." Nick told Judy, as he pulled out of their parking garage. They were both in their police uniforms, on their way to work, but Nick was concerned about Judy. Ever since they found out the news, Nick was trying to make the most of their time together, and Judy was trying to do the same, but she also wanted to try her hardest to make the world a better place in her final weeks, so she insisted that she go to work with Nick. As much as he wanted to spend as much time with her in their last weeks together, he knew Chief Bogo well, and he doubted that he would let Judy continue working. Nick dreaded this, because he also wanted her to be happy in her final months.

"I don't know… but I have to try. I want to do as much as I can before I… well, you know… " She admitted.

"What if there are rules against it? Do you really think he'll make an exception for you? Can he? You know Bogo, he's a stickler for the rules." Nick retorted.

"I've been one of the best officers the ZPD has ever had, even he admitted it. I think he'll at least give me a chance." she responded.

"I hope so, Carrots, I hope so… " Nick murmured. They spent the rest of the ride in silence.

When they got to the precinct, they immediately went to Chief Bogo's office. They didn't even stop to talk to Clawhauser, which seemed to irk him a little. He began texting Nick, wanting to know what was going on, because he claimed that he had a "feeling that something was very wrong". Nick didn't have the heart to tell Clawhauser, especially not over a text, so Nick texted Clawhauser to attend the morning briefing, where he will probably find out.

When they got to Bogo's office, he was surprised, and somewhat annoyed, to see them this early. Nevertheless, he let Judy in.

"So, what is so important that you have to interrupt my morning routine?" He asked her with an irritated tone.

"Well, sir… I… think you should read this." Judy said as she handed him the doctor's report.

"Fine." he grumbled, "Sit down." As Chief Bogo sat down to read the report, Judy sat down, obviously nervous. As Bogo read through the report, his expression changed from annoyance to shock. When he finished, he was silent for a moment, and when he did finally speak, there was a noticeably sad tone in his voice. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention… and… I'm sorry."

"Sir, I have to ask something from you." Judy told him.

"What is it?" Bogo inquired.

"I know that there may be rules against it, but… I just want to remain on the job as long as I can. Please sir, I want to spend what time I have left doing what I love, at least as long as my health allows it. Please sir… please!" She pleaded.

Bogo leaned back in his chair and sighed, and thought about it for a moment. "I can't have a sick officer on duty, and according to this report, your symptoms are very debilitating." he noted.  
Tears started to form in Judy's eyes,

"Please sir, I'm going to get medication help with the symptoms, I will be able to at least work for another month! Just don't make me leave, please! I'm begging you!" She put her face into her paws and began to cry.

Bogo groaned and rubbed his face, and then addressed her again, "And have you been taking the medication?" He challenged.

"W-well… not yet. I don't have it yet, it's probably going to come in later today."  
Bogo seemed to ponder this, and after what seemed like an eternity, he finally gave his decision:

"Alright, here's what's going to happen, until you get your medication, and prove to me that it's helping you with the symptoms, I'm putting you and your partner on parking duty. This isn't up for discussion, I can't have an officer with such serious ailments on full duty, it's too dangerous. Now, once your condition is under control, then I will let you resume your regular duties, as long as you are healthy enough to do so. Understood?"

Judy nodded, because as much as she hated parking duty, it was better than nothing. "Thank you, sir, thank you… " She breathed.

"You're welcome, lieutenant. And… if you need anything, the ZPD is here for you. We are all brothers and sisters here, one big family." Judy nodded, and turned to leave. "One more thing," Bogo called out to her, "Should I let everyone know?"

Judy stopped, and thought about it for a moment. "Yeah. Like you said, we're all one big family here. They deserve to know. I don't think I would be able to break it to them…"  
"Alright, I'll tell them at the morning briefing today. Is that alright?"  
Once again, Judy nodded.

Nick paced nervously outside Bogo's office, waiting for Judy to come back out. He was preparing for the worst. He honestly believed that Bogo wouldn't let Judy continue working. He wasn't afraid that he wouldn't be able to spend time with her, as he could just take a paid leave for a "family emergency", but he knew Judy loved her job almost as much as she loved him. She had worked towards it since her childhood, it would only make sense that she would want to spend as much time that she had left doing what she enjoyed most. It would make her happy, and that is what Nick valued most. The door the Bogo's office opened, and Judy stepped out, misty-eye but smiling. "What happened!?" Nick inquired a little too intensely.

"He's going to let me stay, Nick! He's going to let me stay!" She embraced him and cried tears of joy. Nick returned her embrace and let out a sigh of relief. "Bogo's going to break the news to everyone at briefing…" she went on, "I don't know how they're going to take it."

"I don't know, either… " Nick admitted. "Come on, let's go and wait for the briefing." he proposed. Judy nodded, and took his paw in hers as they walked to briefing.

The Briefing room was buzzing as usual, but neither Nick nor Judy where in the mood to talk. They just quietly sat together, waiting for their assignment. They saw Clawhauser at the back of the room, but they didn't bother talking to him.  
After a few minutes, a familiar mammal stepped in. Chief Bogo walked up to the podium and tapped his hoof on the podium to gain everyone's attention. "Attention everyone; Before we get started today, I have a rather sad announcement."

He motioned for Judy to come stand by him, which she did. He continued: "Unfortunately, I have just received word that one of our Officers, Lieutenant Judith Wilde-Hopps, has recently been diagnosed…" He sighed softly, almost like had had trouble getting it out, "... Has been diagnosed with Terminal Stomach cancer…" He finally managed to say.

The room fell completely silent. Judy could see the shocked look on her all coworkers' faces as she stood next to Chief Bogo's podium. At the back of the room, she saw Clawhauser cup his paws over his mouth in shock. He then burst into tears and ran out of the room. Almost no one seemed to notice, as all eyes were on Judy. She couldn't meet their shocked gazes.  
Bogo tapped her on the shoulder, "Is there anything you'd like to say?"She thought about it for a moment, and nodded. He stepped aside and allowed her to stand on the podium, as she addressed her colleagues.

"I'm sorry that you all had to learn about it this way, I just didn't know how I could tell you all… But… I'm going to stay as long as I can. I want to be with you all, I want to do what I love, as long as my health allows. Again, I'm sorry that you all had to find out this way…" She looked around at her fellow officers, and was surprised by all the sad looks on their faces. She had a lot of friends at the ZPD, but even those that weren't looked upset. She let Bogo take over once more, and sat back down with Nick.

Bogo continued as usual, handing out each Officer got their assignment, before they left, most of them stopped to give Judy hugs and condolences. _Bogo was right,_ she thought, _the ZPD is just one big family…_ As usual, Nick and Judy were the last ones to receive their assignments. And just as Bogo had told Judy, he assigned them to Parking duty.

For the first time, Nick didn't complain. He was just happy that he got to spend time with his wife while she did what she loved. It wasn't the first time Bogo stuck his neck out for them. When they got married, Bogo was supposed to separate them, to prevent "fraternization", but he "Didn't have the heart" to do it. And now, he was letting a terminally ill Officer remain on the job, even if it only was as a Meter Maid for now. With no complaints, they both accepted it, and left the Room.

As they walked out to the main hall, they could hear someone crying. They saw it was Clawhauser, crying like a baby. Around him were Officers Fangmire, Wolfford, Snarlov, and Grizzoli attempting to comfort him, to no avail. Both of them knew all four of the officers very well, and considered them friends. Judy wanted to talk to them, and wanted to console Clawhauser.

"Hey guys…" She greeted them, and turned her attention to Clawhauser "Hey Ben..."

Clawhauser suddenly grabbed her and hugged her tightly, sobbing incoherently. "B-Ben! I… c-can't… breathe…" She squeaked as he hugged her ever more tightly.

"Ben, you're hurting her! Put her down!" Fangmire urged him. He reluctantly complied.  
As Judy caught her breath, Clawhauser tried to apologize, only to break down again. Grizzoli put his paw on Clawhauser's shoulder, and tried to comfort him. The polar bear spoke softly, as he tried to calm him down. Eventually, Judy jumped up onto Clawhauser's desk, trying to get on his level, and managed to get the cheetah to calm down.

"Ben, look at me. I'm not going to die tomorrow… I have a bit of time left." she consoled.

"How long?" Fangmire inquired. Judy hesitated, causing Nick to speak up.  
" _Three months._ " he blurted out. All five of the officers looked at Judy in shock, and Clawhauser began weeping again.

"My God…" Wolfford murmured.  
Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit Judy. " _Oh no… bathroom!_ " she exclaimed. She jumped down from Clawhauser's desk and ran towards the bathroom.

Nick and the other officers watched her go, and once she was was out of sight, Nick let a out a long, sad sigh.  
"Hey, you okay, Nick? How have you been handling this?" Wolfford asked him. Nick simply shrugged, but didn't say a word.

"What about treatments? Is she going to get them?" Fangmire interjected.

"No…" Nick murmured quietly.

"Good..." Snarlov muttered. Everyone looked at the Arctic Wolf in shock.

" _What!? What do you mean 'good'!?_ " Fangmire shrilled.

"It's good because I have seen what those treatments do personally. I had a sister that had to go through all that!" Snarlov shot back, "She was diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer, she never smoked a day in her life. The doctors said that there was not much to be done, but our family insisted that she get Chemo. It was awful… She lost all her fur, spent half her time hunched over a toilet puking her guts out, and the other half completely bedridden, too sick to move. And it's not like she could go anywhere if she could, the treatments destroyed her immune system, and that is what ended up killing her. She got a cold, _**a fucking cold,**_ and it killed her. If she got any extra time out of it, she couldn't enjoy it. So yeah, Judy made the right choice."

Everyone was silent, they didn't know how to respond. But then Grizzoli piped up, "Well, it actually does work sometimes. I had an uncle that went through treatments, and it got rid of his cancer!"

"How early did they catch it?" Snarlov challenged.

"Um… well, p-pretty early…" The polar bear stammered.

"Exactly! They caught it early, but they found my Sister's cancer at it's late stages!" The Wolf spat back, "Nick, what stage is Judy at?"

"Three… it may move into four…" Nick said sadly.

Snarlov nodded, "Uh huh, and once it gets that far, there is no real hope for them. Even the doctors say that it won't really help. It's futile. It's better to have her enjoy what time she has left, than to torture her with treatments that won't really help."

Nick couldn't bear to listen to Snarlov's pessimistic attitude any longer, so he excused himself to go check on Judy, leaving his fellow officers to debate on whether or not Judy should get treatments. Nick knew that it didn't really matter, once Judy made up her mind, there was no changing it. He reached the bathroom just as she walking out, looking a little shaken, but resolute. "Hey, are you okay? Are you sure you're fit for duty?" He asked her. Judy simply nodded, and went to get their gear and uniforms for parking duty. Nick sighed, and followed.

Nick couldn't help but to chuckle when he saw the little three-wheeled cart the ZPD used for meter maids. He remembered it from the Nighthowler case. It has been seven years since he last saw it, yet he remembered it just like yesterday. He remembered when Judy had pulled up next to him in it, asking him for help with finding Emmitt Otterton. That's how it all started…  
He snapped out of his reminiscing when Judy walked past him carrying their orange safety vests and various meter maid supplies. "Here, let me help you with that." He offered.

"I got it, Nick!" She insisted. She glared at the little cart. "Heh, never thought I'd see this thing again." She scoffed. She began putting on her gear, and Nick followed suit. After they were done, Nick got in the driver's seat, and Judy in the passenger's. They pulled of the garage and got to work.

They were only a few minutes into their shift when Nick saw the first expired parking meter. He drove up to it, and the two of them stepped out. Nick went up to Judy and told her "This one's all yours Carrots."

She responded with "Alright Slick, whatever you say." She stepped up to it, and started printing the ticket. Just when she was about to put it on the offending car's windshield, she suddenly dropped the ticket, put her paw to her stomach, and dropped down on her knees, all with a look of pure agony on her face.

Nick was by her side almost immediately, and began helping her back to the car. "On second thought, I've got this, Carrots. You just relax, okay?" Judy began to protest, but another spasm of pain made her double over. Nick carried her back to the cart, and buckled her in for good measure. He returned to the meter and put the ticket under the windshield wiper of the car. Huh, that was easy! He thought. Just then, another meter dinged. And then another. And another. He then realized it was going to be a really long day…

Judy spend most of the day in the cart, her cramps and nausea preventing her from doing anything. And even when they subsided, Nick wouldn't let her do much, claiming that he didn't want her "Over-exert herself", it was frustrating for her. She just sat there, watching Nick work. She saw him write up the ticket, put it in the car's windshield and repeat the process to the next expired meter. She wished that she could do it too, at least it would be something, instead of nothing.  
After hours of waiting and watching Nick do the work, she finally decided she would try it one last time. Near the end of their shift, as Nick pulled up to a meter, she unbuckled herself before he could react.

"Carrots, please let me do this, it's for your own good," she heard Nick plead, but she didn't listen. She went up to the meter, filled out the ticket, and placed it in the windshield of the parked car. That was easy... she thought to herself as Nick approached her. Maybe I'll be able to- Another sudden wave of nausea overcame her, as she ran up to the nearest trash can, and started puking.

"I told you this wasn't a good idea," Nick told her. Just then, he saw a couple coming down the street. It was a fox and bunny, just like him and Judy, but they looked different.  
The fox was a red fox like Nick, but had sea-blue eyes instead of green ones and white fur on his lower muzzle and parts of his neck as opposed to the cream-colored fur Nick had. The tip of his tail was white, not brown, and he wore a ZYPD t-shirt from another Precinct, jeans and had a noticeable bump on his right side, which Nick assumed was a concealed firearm. The bunny, who looked like the fox's wife looked like Judy, but had brown eyes and black and white fur. She wore a simple tank top and sweatpants. As they got closer, Nick could hear their conversation.

"I told you we were lost, we'll never find our way back to the hotel at this point." the fox said, in a somewhat angered tone.

"We're not lost, we're just taking the long way. Besides, didn't you want to see as much of the city as possible?" the bunny asked, and the fox turned and smiled.

"You know me too well, don't you?" he said, looking at her.

"You know damn right I-" She couldn't finish her sentence, as she saw Nick staring at them, as well as Judy hunched over the trash can, vomiting violently.

Every time it looked like she finished, there was always a bit more. The two just stared in shock, as Nick stared back. A bit confused, they just walked by Nick and Judy, trying to act like nothing happened.

After they were out of sight, Judy finally stopped. She ran up to Nick, and started crying. "I'm a failure, I didn't get anything done!" she said in between sobs. Nick started gently stroking her fur with his paws. As she cried, he tried to comfort her.

"Judy, listen to me. This isn't your fault. Besides, I did all this work for you. You'll keep your job, I promise."

" **That's what's wrong! You did everything! You could've done this without me! I'm worthless!** " She wailed.

"No you aren't! I can't go on without you! I'll gladly do all the work as long as I have you!" Nick tried to console her. She kept crying, but Nick's efforts were eventually able to calm her down. "Shhhh, everything is going to be okay, Carrots." He spoke to her softly, "Come on, let's go home."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Family drama

 _ **Later that night…**_

"I'm home Carrots!" Nick announced as he opened the door. Judy was hunched over the toilet vomiting as he came in. He immediately went to the kitchen counter and placed a bottle of pills on it. After she was finished, Judy walked up to him, and picked up the bottle of pills.

"I see you got my medication. Thank you, Nicky." she told him.

"You're very welcome." Nick replied as his wife opened the bottle, grabbed a pill and put it in her mouth, swallowing it. They were both glad that now that she would no longer be puking at random or have stomach pains. Suddenly, Nick remembered something.

"Hey, have you called your parents yet?" He asked, his voice full of concern. She looked at him, and shook her head.

"I just… don't know how to tell them. I mean, how _do_ I tell them that? ' _Hey Mom and Dad, I just called to tell you that I have three months to live. Okay, bye!'_ ? I just don't know, Nick…"

"They have a right to know, Judy."

"I know, Nick… I know." Judy sighed.

"I can call them-" Nick started to suggest.

" _ **No!**_ " Judy blurted out, interrupting him. "Let me. I just want need to think of how I can break it to them."

"Alright…" Nick said hesitantly. "But if you won't call them, I will. They _need_ to know, Judy. Okay?"

"I'll call them right now." Judy said as she pulled out her phone. But then she hesitated. "I'm going to need some privacy…"

"Alright. Let me know if you need anything."

Judy just smiled and headed towards the bedroom. When she got there, she shut the door and began to pace about the room. She knew Nick was right, they had a right to know, but she also knew that the news would devastate them… _Come on, Judy. Just get it over with…_ she thought to herself. She sat down on the bed, started a video call, and managed a smile. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally answered.

"Hey Judy!" Her mother's enthusiastic voice came out through the phone's speaker as she appeared on-screen. "Stu, come here! It's Judy!" she beckoned Judy's father. A few seconds later, he appeared alongside Bonnie.

"What's up Jude the Dude?" He said cheerfully. "How's everything been going?"

"Um, well…" Judy began.

"Wait, something's wrong," Bonnie interrupted, "Look, her ears are drooping!"

"You're right!" Stu exclaimed. "What's wrong? Is it Nick? Is he hurting you!?"

" _ **W-what!? No! He would never-**_!" Judy said, exasperatedly.

"Stuart!" Bonnie scolded.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry… But, what's wrong, Judy? Something is clearly wrong."

Judy sighed. "Alright, just… promise you won't freak out, okay?" They both nodded. _Okay, where to begin…_ she thought. "So, for a little over a week, I've been having really bad cramps, and I've been so sick, I can barely keep anything I eat down…"

Bonnie piped up: "That sounds like morning sickness… Judy, are you… pregnant?"

Judy scoffed. "I wish… That's what we thought at first. But no. Nick took me to the Doctor. T-they found…" She choked up, barely able to hold back tears. "They say I… I have developed… stomach cancer… really, _really_ bad. They say there's… nothing they can do… They say I have only… t-three months… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" She began to cry, as her parents watched in shock.

" _Oh my god, no… please, no_ …" Stu moaned, and began to cry as well.

"Will you get treatment?" Bonnie asked, obviously trying to hold back her own tears.

"No…" Judy swallowed the lump in her throat, "You know how treatment doesn't work on us very well. I understand that it may give me some more time, but the side-effects aren't worth it. I'd rather enjoy the time I have left…"

Bonnie simply nodded. "And… when are you going to come home?"

This caught Judy off guard. "Um, well… you see, I'm… going to stay at my job as long as I can. I've already talked to the Chief, he said I could."

"You don't want to spend your remaining time with your family?" Stu said, still crying a little.

"I'm not saying that! I do want to, and I will, I promise! I just worked for this job all my life, and I want to do everything I can to make the world a better place as long as long as I can. When I can't work anymore, I'll come home, okay? Please, just let me do this..." Judy pleaded.

"And does Nick know about this?" Stu asked.

"Yeah, he's okay with me staying on the force."

"I mean you not coming home. Is he okay with that?"

Judy hesitated. She knew better than to lie to her parents, but she also knew that Nick would respect their wishes. "N-no, not yet. But I'll ask him." Judy rubbed her eyes, she felt tired for some reason. "Listen, I've got to let you go for now, I've had a long day, and I'm really tired... I'll call you tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay sweetheart…" Bonnie said, wiping a few tears away from her eyes. "We love you, Judy, very much, we want you to know that."

"I love you too…" Judy said, tearing up some more. "I'm so sorry that you had to find out this way… but… maybe the doctors were wrong. I may have more time than they thought. Who knows? And again, I promise that when I can't work, I'll come home, alright…? Bye, I love you…" With that, she ended the call. She rubbed her eyes again, partly from the stress, but also from this sudden fatigue. She couldn't explain why she was feeling so tired all of the sudden. _I'll just lie down for a while, shut my eyes for a bit…_ she thought. She laid back on the bed and shut her eyes. Before she even knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.

As much as Nick wanted to be a part of the conversation, he knew better than to butt in Judy's business. He also knew that Judy would be furious if she caught him eavesdropping, so he just left her alone. He sat down on the couch, and rested his aching feet. He was exhausted after such a long day. He didn't mind the fact that he had to do most of the work, it was just so tiring. _But at least Judy's still with me, I still have my partner, my wife…_ he thought. Just as he was beginning to doze off, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. When he looked to see what it was, he saw that it was a video call from Jack and Skye. He was surprised, as he thought they were out on a mission. Jack Savage and Skye Winters where part of an agency that often worked with the ZPD, that's how he and Judy met Jack and Skye. They had often worked together over the past few years, so often that they considered each other friends. For last few weeks, they had been out on a mission, and he hadn't heard anything from them. Truth be told, he was actually beginning to get a little worried. And even now, he was afraid that something bad had happened to one of them. He answered the video call, and much to his relief, he was greeted by both of them. "Hey guys, it's been a while!" He said cheerfully.

"Hey Nick, how are you doing?" Jack asked.

Nick smiled, and told them "Oh, things have been alright, I guess. Finally got back from that mission, huh?"

He nodded. Then Skye spoke up.

"We've heard rumors of something going on with Judy. Can you tell us what's going on?"

Nick felt his stomach drop. How could he explain it to them?

"Well there is something I need to tell you." Nick sighed. "Judy has been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of stomach cancer. It is already in it's late stages, and there is nothing that can be done. She only has a few months left at most." Tears started to form in his eyes as he said this.

Jack put his paw over his mouth in shock, and Skye started to cry. It was weird for Nick, seeing his friends hardened like rocks as a result of years in the agency starting to break down in front of him.

"What are you two going to do?" Skye asked.

"Well… She's not going to get treatments, they wouldn't do any good anyway. And Bogo's letting her stay on the job as long as she can." Nick explained.

"And what are you going to do once she can't work anymore?" Jack asked.

Nick stopped for a moment. He hadn't really thought about that, nor did he really want to. "I… don't know." he admitted.

"And her family?" Skye interjected.

"She's actually calling her parents right now, she wanted to break the news to her parents alone." Nick sighed softly and sat back. "Anyway, I don't want to think about it, we'll cross those bridges when we come to them. Who knows, it might not be as bad as they thought."

"Nick…" Jack began, only for Skye to stop him, and whisper something in his ear. "We… we hope you're right…"

"Well… How was your mission?" Nick asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

"It was alright I guess…" Skye told him, still focused on Judy's condition.

"What happened? I'm dying to know!" Nick said.

They spent the next half hour talking Jack and Skye's mission, at least, what wasn't classified. After a while, Nick grew tired. "Hey guys, I'm gonna have to let you go. I've had a looonng day, and I'm exhausted." Nick said.

"Alright," Skye sighed, "Just… tell Judy that… we're so sorry to hear about her condition. Keep us updated, okay?"

"I will, don't worry." Nick promised. With that, he ended the call. He began to wonder why Judy wasn't done with her call. He decided to check on her. He walked to the bedroom and pressed his ear to the door. When he didn't hear anything, he knocked on the door. "Carrots? Is everything alright?" No response. He slowly and quietly opened the door and peeked in. He saw her lying back on the bed, eyes shut, unmoving. She looked peaceful… a little _too_ peaceful… He couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. He walked up next to her, and tried to rouse her. "Carrots? You okay?" He gently shook her. "Judy? _Judy?"_

Much to his relief, she stirred. "Huh, wha…? Oh, Nick." She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I must've dozed off. I just… got really tired all the sudden."

Nick crawled in bed with her. "It's okay, I'm pretty tired, myself." He said with a smirk. He then wrapped her in a hug, holding her close. "While you were calling your parents, I got a call from Jack and Skye."

Judy perked up "Really? How are they?"

"They're doing alright. But someone told them about your condition. They're pretty upset about it… They told me to tell you that they're sorry to hear about it."

Judy only sighed sadly. Nick nuzzled her, "Hey, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay." He comforted her. He laid back, and she rested her head on his chest. "I love you" Nick said.

"I love you, too." She mumbled tiredly. After a few moments, she was asleep once more.

Once he noticed, Nick gently gave her a kiss on top of her head. "Goodnight, Fluff. You are the light of my life…"


	5. Chapter 5

[Author's Note: Hello everyone. I understand it's been around a year since I last updated this story. I was so busy working on it and discussing ideas with my co-writer that I forgot to upload the chapters here when finished. Well I've gotten back on track, and will start publishing chapters on here again. Hope you enjoy.]

Chapter 5: Complications

Judy awoke to the beeping of the alarm clock. She sat up and stretched. She felt very refreshed, she hadn't slept _that_ good in a long while, especially when she had been continuously woken up by cramps or nausea. She noticed that Nick wasn't in bed next to her. It was unusual for Nick to wake up before her, as he wasn't a "morning person". In fact, she usually had to drag him out of bed most days. She walked into the kitchen and found Nick cooking breakfast. He must've heard her, because he looked over his shoulder as he was cooking.

"Mornin' Carrots, how'd ya sleep?" He said cheerfully.

"Like a rock." She replied, still trying to rub the sleep from her eyes.

Nick chuckled. "I could tell. When I woke up early this morning, you were sound asleep. I figured that I'd just let the alarm clock wake you up. You know, you're so _cute_ when you're asleep!" He said teasingly.

Ordinarily, Judy would be furious if any mammal called her "cute", especially if they did it to tease her. However, over the years with Nick, she had grown to like his affectionate teasing, even when he called her cute. "Don't forget, this cute little bunny can still whip your hide!" She teased back. She walked over to him and tried to peer into the skillet on the stove. "What's cooking?"

"Our favorite, blueberry pancakes!" He declared.

"You mean _your_ favorite. You're absolutely addicted to blueberries, aren't you?" She laughed.

"I can't help it, they are just so sweet! But not as sweet as you, Fluff." he bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Go ahead and get ready for work, I'll have them done by then. Hopefully Chief Buffalo-butt will put us on regular duty today, now that you've got your medication. Oh, and that reminds me; don't forget to take it, okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't. Trust me, I don't want to spend the day puking…" She walked out of the kitchen, and begun getting ready for work.

While she was getting ready, Nick begun to daydream, thinking about the time when she "persuaded" him into helping find Emmitt Otterton. He had to admit, she outfoxed him good. And just think, they met by chance, and she completely turned his life around, from a shifty con artist to a decorated cop. He thought that if he had never met her, he would still probably be on the streets, or worse, lying dead in an alley after scamming someone he shouldn't have. And then she gave him something that had been missing for most of his life: Genuine love. He remembered their first kiss:

 **Six years earlier…**

"That was a very boring day, wasn't it Carrots?" Nick asked, as he pulled up into the garage.

Judy just nodded silently, and gazed out the window. She clearly had something on her mind, something she wasn't telling him. Of course, he was guilty of that, too. He knew he couldn't tell Judy how he really felt about her. _I am_ _a fox, and she is a bunny, not only are we different species, but a predator falling in love with a prey mammal? That is unheard-of! How would everyone react? How would Judy react, if she knew…?_ Nick thought to himself.

Nick decided to play it simple, one step at a time. The first step would to be to become close friends with Judy, that's what he would work on.

"Hey Fluff, there's something you need to know…" Nick said. Judy looked at him, and asked "What is it?

"Thank you for everything. You took me, a shady con artist and turned my life around. Also, you're one of the greatest partners and friends I've ever had. Judy… I-"

Judy leaned over before Nick was finished, and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed, his face turning red under his orange and cream fur, and his ears and tail pricked up.

"I love you too Nick." Judy told Nick after she finished. The two began kissing each other romantically on the lips. From the other side of the garage, Clawhauser squealed with joy, seeing the two making out. He always thought they were a cute couple, and his dream had become a reality.

 **Present day…**

Nick smiled as he daydreamed about that day, until a foul smell hit his nose, which snapped him back to reality. To his dismay, he realized he had accidentally burnt the pancakes. "Well shit…" he muttered. And then he heard Judy's voice behind him, and he turned to face her.

"God, what is the smell? Nick…" she said, giving him a knowing look.

Nick smiled sheepishly. "Well… I kind of burnt our breakfast."

Judy looked at him, but instead of getting angry, she let out a small chuckle. "Oh well, we'll just get something on the way to work. Go and get ready, I'll warm up the car."

"Thank you Carrots." Nick replied, his slick smile returning.

"You're welcome, my dumb fox." Judy responded, kissing him on his cheek. Then she walked out of their apartment.

After Judy left, Nick walked into the bedroom. He changed into his police uniform, and did his usual morning routine. In his mind, he thought about how this would be a better day, and how hopefully things will get better. Though as he was leaving to join Judy, he knew deep down that this is only temporary, that Judy's medication isn't going to stop her cancer, and that the day will come when she will no longer be able to work, and then… _No! I'm not going to think about that. I have to focus on the here and now, that's what's most important..._ Nick thought to himself as he left their apartment, and headed downstairs to join Judy.

Judy sat in the car, examining the bottle of pills as she waited for Nick. At first glance, the label was seemingly normal, the usual nearly impossible-to-pronounce name, the dosage, instructions, but something on the label caught her eye: Written in bold was " _ **May cause extreme drowsiness, do NOT drive or operate machinery.**_ " This worried her a little, as she had already taken one, but she figured that it wouldn't be that bad. It did say "May cause" not "Will cause", after all. Suddenly, there was a knock on the window, startling her. She accidentally dropped the pill bottle, causing the pills to spill out on the floorboards. When she looked up, she saw Nick waiting outside.

After she opened the door to let him inside, he noticed the mess on the floor. He calmly asked her, "Carrots, what's going on here?" "Tell you in a moment Nick," she responded while picking up the pills on the floor and placing them back in the bottle. Nick gladly helped her, but after he put the pills back, he decided to look at the text on the bottle.

He must've seen the warning, as his eyes grew wide. As he seemed to muse over this for a moment, Judy's heart began to sink.

"Judy, are you sure you can work? It says that it causes "extreme drowsiness", I don't think you can go on duty like that…" Nick said, a tone of uncertainty creeping into his voice.

"Oh, come on, Nick! It's not that bad! They exaggerate it to make you afraid. You know me, I'll be fine." She tried to reassure him.

After a moment, he sighed loudly. "Okay Carrots, whatever you say." Nick insisted on driving, saying that it was not up for discussion. He didn't want her to fall asleep at the wheel if she was wrong. Judy knew that he wasn't going to budge, so she agreed and they finally got on the road.

After a while, Judy's eyes began to feel heavy. As much as she tried, she couldn't keep them open, and before she knew it, she was half-asleep. Nick had to wake her when they reached the drive-thru of a fast food joint. He voiced his concern again, saying that maybe going to work while under the influence of the medication was not a good idea. Judy still insisted that she could work, she just needed something to keep her awake. She ordered some black coffee to give her an energy boost. She never liked black coffee that much, it was normally too bitter for her taste, but she knew she'd need it today.

They sat silently in the parking lot of the restaurant and ate their food. The black coffee seemed to help, as the drowsiness had went away. Judy hoped that the fatigue caused by the medicine was only an initial side-effect, as she knew the coffee wouldn't last forever.

Once they finished their food, they headed out towards the Precinct. "Feeling better?" Nick asked her.

"Yeah, a lot better! The coffee really helped!" Judy still had a little over a half a cup left of the coffee, and she decided to save it just in case she needed it.

"That's good, hopefully it will last." Nick knew that the effects of the coffee would probably wear off quickly, but at least it was better than nothing. He continued his drive towards Precinct 1. The ride was mostly silent after that.

When they got to the precinct, almost all of their fellow officers were waiting for them. Everyone was asking Judy about her condition, how long she could stay on the job, if she was going to try to do anything to combat the cancer, and so on. She stayed and answered as many questions as she could before she had to leave to see Chief Bogo.

When she left, they started questioning Nick. As much as he wanted to answer his coworkers' questions, it was difficult for him. They were asking him difficult questions, many of which he didn't know the answer to, and that he didn't _want_ to know the answer to. And then they began to bombard him with what they thought he should do, and arguing with each other about it. Nick felt overwhelmed, but didn't know what to do. After a while, he couldn't take it anymore, and excused himself. He decided to wait for Judy outside Bogo's office.

As he made him way to the Chief's office, several of the questions that his fellow officers had asked him still sat in the back of his mind, with one specific one that nagged him. He didn't even know who asked it, but once he heard it, he couldn't stop thinking about it, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that it wouldn't happen.

" _What will you do once she dies?"_

 _That isn't going to happen!_ _Judy's strong. She'll fight it! I've just got to be there for her!_ He thought to himself as he paced back and forth outside Bogo's office. He tried to listen in on what was going on inside. He could hear Judy and Bogo talking, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. After a while, the door opened, and Judy walked out of the office, and practically ran into Nick.

"Cripes, Nick! I didn't see you there!" Judy exclaimed. "How long have you been waiting here?"

"I dunno, a couple of minutes. What did Bogo say? Is he going to let you be on full duty?" Nick inquired.

"Yep! He's convinced that I'm healthy enough to be on full duty!" She beamed. "Come on, it's almost time for briefing." She began to walk to the briefing room, with Nick following.

"I'm honestly surprised that he let you back on, considering the side-effects of the medication." Nick mused.

"Well…" Judy started, but trailed off, causing Nick to stop.

"You **did** tell Bogo about the side effects, **right**?" Nick said.

"I _may_ have kinda left that out…" She said quietly.

" _You_ _ **what!?**_ "

Judy flinched slightly, even though she knew that Nick would react this way.

"Why?!"

"Nick you don't understand! He wouldn't let me back on if I told him! He won't care if it isn't that bad, he wouldn't want to risk it!"

"Judy…" Nick sighed. "I know he wouldn't have let you back in if he knew. You didn't do the right thing, but for once… I don't care. I just want you to be happy."

"Nick…"

She leaned over and kissed his long muzzle. Nick became red with shock.

"Thank you, Nick. Come on, let's get to briefing before he changes his mind!"

Nick smiled. Maybe a little bit of him was rubbing off on her…

 ***One hour later***

Judy could barely keep her eyes open. She had started feeling tired during briefing, and had to drink the rest of the coffee just to make it through the briefing, which seemed to last forever.

They were on the road now, en route to Tundra Town. Once again, Nick insisted on were assigned to patrol duty, as usual. It was just like a normal day, Nick thought to himself. No, it was a normal day, he tried to convince himself, but every time he looked over at Judy, he knew that wasn't the case.

Judy was slumped over in the passenger seat, sound asleep. Nick gently nudged her, and she woke with a start.

"Huh, wha-!? Oh… How long was I out for?" She asked Nick.

Nick glanced at the clock. "About ten minutes."

Judy leaned back in the seat and yawned. "God… maybe this **was** a mistake after all. I don't think I can make it all day…"

"Do you want me to call in and say you're not feeling well?" Nick offered.

Judy shook her head. "I'll think of something to stay awake…"

Nick let out a long sigh. He then noticed that the "low fuel" light on the instrument panel was on. "Damn it. Weren't they supposed to refuel the car back at the precinct?"

Judy looked surprised. "Um, yeah. Did they not?"

"Apparently not. Idiots…" he muttered under his breath. Fortunately, he could see a gas station up ahead.

They pulled into the gas station, and Nick got out to pump the gas, and Judy offered to go inside to pay. "Besides," she said, "Maybe if I stretch my legs a little, it'll help me wake up a little." Nick ultimately agreed, and gave her the money.

When she went in to pay, she saw a freezer holding energy drinks. She figured that they might be the solution to her problem. That is, if they didn't make make her little Bunny heart explode in her chest. She picked up a can, and asked the cashier, an Elk, if it was safe for smaller mammals.

The Elk looked up from his phone and shrugged, and then went right back to whatever he was doing, suggesting a profound lack of interest on his job.

She let out an aggravated sigh, and began reading the information on the can, looking for any information on if it was safe for small mammals like her. To her dismay, she found nothing. She decided to go ahead and get a can or two, and just take small sips, just in case.

She walked up to the counter and paid for the gas, and the energy drinks. When she got outside, Nick was already in the cruiser waiting her.

"What's that?" Nick asked her when she stepped in the cruiser, noticing the bag she was carrying.

She simply took a can out of the bag and showed it to him.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Nick asked. Ever since he joined the force, Nick always looked out for Judy's safety, sometimes even more than his own.

"No, guess we'll have to see." Before Nick could react, she grabbed a can from the bag, cracked it open, and took a long sip.

Nick didn't know what to do. He just sat there in shock. For all he knew, these could be toxic to her fragile bunny body. He waited for something bad to happen, for Judy to start vomiting blood or something, but it never came. If anything, she started to get better. She was no longer slumped over, and started looking like her normal, energetic self again.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and pulled out of the gas station. As they approached a stoplight, he hoped that today wouldn't be that busy, that Judy wouldn't have to push herself. That hope didn't last long though, as when the light turned green, he began to pull out, only for another car blew the red light while laying on the horn, narrowly avoiding sideswiping them by less than a couple of feet.

They both looked at each other in shock, taking a brief moment to appreciate the fact that they were still alive, but only for a moment. Once he collected himself, Nick turned on the lights and siren, and pulled out after the car.

They found it at the next stoplight, caught in traffic. They pulled up behind it, and flashed their lights. Unable to go anywhere, and probably realizing that he was caught, the driver pulled over to the curb once the other vehicles let him through.

Once they had gotten behind the car, Judy instinctively got out to talk to the driver, but Nick stopped her. "Carrots, are you sure you're up for this?"

"Yeah! I feel great!" she responded. And she wasn't lying. She felt much better, the drowsiness had completely gone away.

Nick looked at her, trying to decide if he could take her word for it. After a moment, he sighed and said "Alright, whatever you say, fluff." and put on his aviator sunglasses.

Relieved that she might finally be able to do her job, she began to walk up to the driver's side door, with Nick following behind. But as she was doing so, something began to feel different. She could her heart rate began to rise, and also a sudden rise in her energy as well. She tried to contain herself as the driver's side window rolled down, revealing a very nervous-looking coyote, no older than 18. "Do you know why we stopped you?' She asked, trying her best to contain the sudden burst of energy. Judging by the coyote's reaction, she did a poor job of it.

He simply cowered back a little a quickly shook his head.

For some reason, Judy began to feel incredibly annoyed. "I'll tell you what you did; **You ran a red light, at god-knows what speed! You could've killed us, you could've killed someone else!** _ **That's**_ **what you did!** " She said to him with such ferocity that it even surprised her. She wasn't normally _this_ aggressive, she almost never let her emotions affect her professionalism.

Nick just stood there in shock, his ears fell flat against his head, and his jaw fell open a bit. He had rarely seen Judy in this state of emotion on the job, and it was completely unlike her to yell at someone, even if they had committed a crime. "Judy, are you-" he began to ask.

"I'm fine!" She barked at Nick. Again, she had no idea why she had gotten so irritable all of the sudden, and the fact that she had just snapped at her husband only made her more aggravated at herself.

Nick slowly started walking forward, approaching her slowly. He wasn't sure what had gotten into her. "Judy… How about I take care of this while you… cool down. You're clearly upset from what just happened. Let me take care of this." he said while putting his paw on her shoulder.

She took a deep breath, nodded, and walked back to the car.

As Nick handled the Coyote, Judy paced back and forth by the car, not only trying to burn off the sudden burst of energy, but also trying to think of why she acted the way she did. She didn't mean to snap like that. What could've caused her to behave in such a way? And then it hit her: Could this be another side-effect of the medication? That thought made her heart sink. As much as she wanted to **not** have crippling cramps and nausea, she didn't want to be an insufferable jerk, either. The fatigue was bearable, but this?

As Nick finished up issuing a pretty heavy ticket to the Coyote, she got back into the passenger's seat of the car, retreated into herself, not wanting to snap at Nick again.

"Judy? Are you okay?"

She could barely even look at him, but she could see the concern on his face. She mustered a nod.

"Are you _sure_?" Nick asked insistently.

She nodded again, but she didn't have the heart to talk to him. Her anger had dissipated, replaced with shame.

After a moment, Nick just sighed, started the car, and pulled back on the road.

Things were uneventful for a while, and eventually they stopped to have lunch. Judy seemed to be feeling better now, she was no longer experiencing the radical mood swings. Nick was still concerned, but he didn't want to push her. She stayed quiet for a while, before finally speaking up while they were eating at one of their favorite fast food joints.

"Nick… I'm sorry about earlier. I just… don't know what came over me."

"It's okay, Carrots. You were obviously still shaken from that guy almost hitting us." He tried to assure her.

"No, this was different… It was like… one moment I was fine, the the next I was just… seeing red. It just came over me all the sudden." She explained.

Nick was silent, he didn't know what to say to this. It wasn't like her to have mood swings as drastic as that.

Judy leaned in a little, with a worried expression on her face. "Nick, what if it's the medication? I don't want to be like that!"

Nick slumped back in his chair a little, trying to think of a response. "...If it is… then we'll just have to... deal with it, I guess. You know you can't go without it."

"I know…" She said softly. "...I'll call the Doctor, and see what he says about it." Suddenly, she began to feel a little woozy and fatigued. It came on her faster than it had before with the medication.

Nick could immediately see something was wrong. "Let me guess, you're feeling dizzy? Tired?" Judy just nodded. Nick clicked his tongue. "It's those energy drinks. They only last for a couple hours, then you crash. Trust me, I had quite a few of them myself back when I had to do some late-night hustles with Finnick. First, you get lethargic, queasy, and anxious. Then, you'll get a stabbing headache-" The words had barely left his mouth when Judy winced and held her head. "See what I mean? That stuff's practically poison!"

"I know…" Judy murmured quietly. "But I need it to stop from passing out from that stupid medication!"

Nick sighed and thought about that for a moment. "...Ask the doctor if there's something you can take, anything that he can prescribe that'll stop you from getting so fatigued. Please, promise me that you won't go off the medication, no matter what. I couldn't bear to see you like you were before..."

Judy hesitated for a moment. She had begun to hate the the side effect of the medicine, but Nick was right, she couldn't just stop taking it and puke her guts out at random. That would take a big toll on her body, and she didn't want to put Nick through that. And it was obvious that he didn't want to, judging by the pleading look in his eyes.

"I promise." She said reluctantly.

Nick stopped eating for a moment. He leaned in infront of Judy and kissed her on the cheek. Suddenly, her ears turned red and pricked up, but she soon returned the favor.

"I love you Judy, I always will."

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Fortunately, Judy had another can of the energy drink, so she was able to cut the crash short. Temporarily, at least.

Nick pulled into the garage near their apartment with Judy sound asleep next to him. He pulled into their usual parking spot and as the car stopped, Judy jolted awake. Nick looked over and smiled. He guessed it was just her natural instincts that woke her up. He opened the car door, and the two stepped out. Judy had to be supported by Nick as the two walked slowly to their building. Nick was more than happy to help Judy, but also had a lot on his mind. He couldn't help worrying about her. Above all else, he wanted her to be happy. But it seemed like everything they did to try to make things better, or at least tolerable, came with some hidden millstone that made things even harder. It was like it was a lose-lose situation. If she went off the meds, she would spend most her time puking, and unable to do the job that she had spent her whole life working for. But if she did take it, it would make her so lethargic that she could barely even keep her eyes open. And if she tried to counter that with those energy drinks, she would have to deal with crashes.

He tried to push the thoughts out of his head, but just couldn't. The two walked into the elevator, and Nick pressed the button to their floor. He looked over at Judy, who was slumped over in his arms. She still had her eyes open, but was otherwise limp. For a split second, Nick's heart jumped up into his throat, but then he realized that she must've fallen asleep with her eyes smiled and gently picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and carried her to their apartment door. Trying not to wake Judy up, he fished the key out of his pocket and turned it. He opened the door slowly, only to jolt back in shock after seeing Jack and Skye waiting for them. Jack was sitting on the couch watching the news, and Skye was with him, her arm wrapped around his neck. The jolt from Nick's shock also woke Judy up, who literally jumped out of Nick's arms in surprise.

When the shock wore off, Nick started to get angry. First of all, the surprise startled Judy, and from his experience with her and other bunnies, he learned NEVER to startle a rabbit. But secondly, he wondered…

"How the hell did you guys get in here?" he asked, annoyance present in his voice.

Jack looked over at him, looking relatively calm.

"Not even a 'Hello'? Oh, we just picked the lock. You really gotta get better locks, as anyone with the faintest grasp of lockpicking could come in on you."

Rage boiled up inside Nick, but he tried to hide it. "This is _our_ home!" he said, gesturing towards himself and Judy. "You can't just walk in like you own the place! At the _very least_ , you could've called us first!"

"We wanted to surprise ya ." Skye interjected. "It wouldn't be a surprise if we told ye now, would it?"

"So this is your idea of a joke? Breaking and entering? You do realize we could arrest you, right?" Judy said irritability.

"Technically, it's not "breaking", as nothing was broken. Even the lock still works. Even if it's a piece of shite." Jack said matter-of-factly.

"And ye wouldn't really arrest ya friends, would ye?" Skye asked, smiling innocently.

Nick glared over at Skye. He sighed. "Carrots, I'll take care of this, go call the doctor."

Judy simply nodded. She was still a bit shaken from the surprise, but it had least given her enough energy to make the call. As she headed to the bedroom, she heard Nick chewing Jack and Skye out. Not wanting to get involved, she shut the door behind her.

The doctor was kind enough to give her his personal number, so she would be able to call him if she had any questions. Thankful that she wouldn't have to jump through all the hoops that she would normally have to in order to contact him, she pulled up the doctor's number and hit call, and after a few moments, he picked up.

"Ah, Mrs. Wilde! How can I help you?"

"I've got a few questions about the medication you have me on. I know that fatigue is a side effect, but I've also been experiencing mood swings. Is that normal with this medication?" She asked.

"Hmm… I don't think so, but let me check." He said with an uncertain tone in his voice.

Judy heard papers shuffling around, and the doctor mumbling things to himself, but she was unable to make out what he was saying.

"No, that's not supposed to happen. Are you taking anything that might conflict with it?" he asked.

"No, I'm not on any other medication." She affirmed.

"Have you eaten or drank anything that might cause that?"

Judy thought about this for a moment. "Well, I did have some black coffee. I was trying to get rid of the drowsiness. Could that have caused it?"

"No, caffeine alone wouldn't cause that. Anything else?"

"Well… when I ran out of coffee, I bought some energy drinks, and then… it started shortly after that…" She trailed off, coming to a realization that they may have caused it.

And the doctor seemed to share that realization. "Oh… I think that's probably it. You see, there are so many ingredients in energy drinks, not much of them healthy, that it's almost a certainty that the ingredients in the drink and the medicine reacted and made you experience the mood swings."

"So… what do I do? I don't want to spend most of the day out cold from the medication, but I don't want to be loose cannon, either! Is there something else you can prescribe, something that doesn't make me tired? Or something that counteract it, at least?" She asked desperately.

"Well, I could try to lower the dosage, that would lessen the effects, both good and bad. Let me check your current prescription and see if I can lower it without it losing too much of the intended effects." He said.

Judy heard him typing on his computer, but then it suddenly stopped.

"What the…? Oh lord…"

"What? What's wrong!?" She said, trying her best to hide the alarm in her voice.

"According to this, it seems someone mixed up your prescription, with a _vixen's_. They must've thought that you, being the wife of a fox, are a vixen! That would explain why the side effects are so severe, you've been given too large of a dose!" He said, sounding both amused and frustrated. "Don't worry, I'll have that fixed right away. I'll make some calls, maybe knock a few heads together. Throw those pills that you have out, I'll make sure the right ones will be available for pickup as soon as possible, probably tomorrow morning. The new ones shouldn't be so bad. The side-effects will still probably be present, just not as bad. Just stay away from those energy drinks, and you should be fine."

Judy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, I was just so worried that you wouldn't be able to do anything, and if the Chief had found out how bad those pills were effecting me, he wouldn't have let me stay on duty…"

"Yes, and we all know how much you love your job." The doctor chuckled. "Fortunately, we caught this mistake early. Had we not, you might've had to suffer through that for God knows how long. You deserve to be happy and comfortable in your final months, after everything you've done for this city."

This caught Judy off guard. She had never really gotten that much recognition for her actions besides the first few months after the Nighthowler incident, and a few mammals recognizing her on the streets. It didn't really bother her that much, she never asked for recognition or fame, but it did warm her heart to know that some still remembered and appreciated her. "T-thank you… that means so much to me…" She said, trying her best to hold back tears.

"It's no problem, really. Anyway, I'll see to it that the new medication is available for pickup as soon a possible. And if you have any more problems, or if anything gets worse, let me know right away." He instructed.

"Will do!" She affirmed. As she hung up, she could hear Nick raising his voice in the living room. This somewhat concerned her, as he was never the really the type to do that. As she walked out into the hall, she caught what he was saying.

" _And if you_ _ **ever**_ _enter our apartment without our permission again, we'll call the ZPD and have you locked up so fast, it'll make your heads spin! Got it!?"_

Judy reached the living room, and saw Jack and Skye, looking like a couple of kits that just gotten the worst scolding of their lives. They nodded at Nick.

"Good. Now **Get. Out.** " Nick said, pointing towards the door.

Without a word, they slinked out the door and shut it behind them.

Nick turned to Judy, obviously aggravated. "Can you **believe** the nerve of those two?"

"They were probably just concerned about me. And can you blame them?" Judy said, feeling a little sorry for them.

"Yeah, they just can't walk in unannounced like they own the place!" Nick sighed, rubbing his eyes. "What did the doctor say?"

Judy chuckled. "Apparently someone at the pharmacy gave me the wrong dosage of medicine! He said they probably thought that I was- get this- a vixen!"

Nick laughed a little laugh. "Wouldn't have been the first time someone made that mistake."

"Mhm. Anyway, he told me to throw those pills away, and pick up the new ones tomorrow. He said that now I'm taking the correct dosage, it shouldn't be as bad now." Judy explained.

"And what about the… well, you know, 'outburst' you had? Was that caused by the medication?" Nick asked.

"Well, not exactly. He said it was because I mixed the energy drinks and the meds. _And don't even say it_." she said, as Nick gave her a look of _I told you so_.

"Oh, I won't, because you we're both thinking it." Nick teased.

Judy laughed. "Yeah… I hope things are going to go back to normal soon…"

"I hope so too, Carrots, I hope so too…" Nick said quietly.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Broken Promises

Nick lay on his bed, relaxing while Judy was taking a shower. It had been about a month since Judy received her new medication, and things have been going smoothly ever since, except she didn't seem to have much of an appetite, but Nick chalked it up to stress. Maybe the cancer was going into remission. Maybe things would return to they way they were before. He started to think about the past, and one particular fond memory popped into his mind.

 **Five years earlier…**

Today, Nick decided. Today would be the day he finally popped the question to Judy. He was off duty today, but Judy had to go in to do some paperwork. Nick took this opportunity to pick up the engagement ring he had meticulously picked out.

Afterwards, he drove to Precinct 1 to pick up Judy, and surprise her with his gift. Parking the car, he put the ring in his pocket and approached the building. Walking in through the front doors, he was greeted by Clawhauser. After talking for a bit, he saw Judy walking down a hall towards them. She seemed just as happy to see him as he was to see her.

"Hey Nick!" She beamed.

Nick smiled back. "Hey Carrots! How was your your day?"

"Eh, it was boring. Lots and lots of paperwork." She shrugged. She clearly had something on her mind.

Nick noticed this, but he figured his "surprise" would get her mind off of whatever it was. That reminded him; "Hey fluff, I have something to ask you." He said, feeling slightly anxious, and trying his best to hide it.

"So do I, and it's pretty important…" She said.

He could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't joking, that whatever it was, it was really important. "Okay, what is it?"

She looked at him and sighed. "These past few years have been some of the best in my life. Not only do I get to live out my dream of being on the force, but I also have someone I can trust. Someone I can love. And I feel like it's time we become more than just boyfriend and girlfriend…"

"Judy…" Nick put his paw on her shoulder. "I think it's time too. So I ask you…" Nick looked down and reached into his pocket for the ring. When he pulled it out and looked up again, he saw Judy on her knees, with an engagement ring in her hands.

"Nick, I ask you, the love of my life… Will you marry me?"

Nick stood there in shock, not knowing what to do. Everyone in the room started staring at them, and Clawhauser squealed in delight.

Judy began: "Back home in Bunnyburrow, it's tradition for the female in the relationship to propose, instead of the other way around like most mammals, including foxes. I thought I'd do the same with you. You still haven't answered my question Nick, what do you say?"

Nick started laughing. Laughing, and crying.

Judy's ears drooped, she seemed to be taken aback by his reaction. "Does… does that mean no…?"

"Nonono! I'm not saying no!" Nick stammered, "It's just-" he showed her the ring, " **I** was planning on proposing to **you**! I never thought that it would be the other way around!" He took her paw in his. "And yes! Yes I will!"

Judy jumped up in delight and hugged him so tight that he could barely even breathe, but he didn't care, he had never been happier in his entire life.

 **Present Day**

The sound of Judy's cellphone ringing next to him. He picked up the phone, and noticed it was a video call from Judy's parents. He contemplated if he should take the call for her. It had been a while since he had spoken to them, but he figured they wouldn't mind talking to him while Judy took her shower. Nick answered the video call and tried to appear as friendly as possible; "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Hopps!"

"Hello Nicholas." Bonnie said with a smile, "Is Judy around?"

"She's taking a shower right now. Do you need her for something?" Nick asked.

"Well, we were wanting to talk with her about her… _condition_ , and when she was going to come back to the burrows. She said that she would come back soon, and that she would talk to you about it. We've been trying to call her to talk to her about it, but she always said that she was busy with work." Stu explained.

Nick furrowed his brow. "She hasn't told me anything about that. And we haven't been _that_ busy with work. I mean, we've had plenty of free time, they're shouldn't be any reason why she hasn't talked with you about it… or hasn't told me about it…" Why didn't she? She normally never hid things from him, or her parents. This was so unlike her…

Nick suddenly heard a strange sound coming from the bathroom. He just had a feeling that he needed to check on Judy. "Hang on, I'll call you back. I heard something, I need to go make sure Judy's alright." He hung up and made his way to the bathroom. He heard another sound, retching. He knocked on the door. "Judy? Are you alright?" He tried the doorknob, and found it unlocked. He opened the door slowly, trying not to intrude on Judy's privacy. Looking around, he found the shower to be off, and Judy hunched over the toilet. He took a few steps closer, and found that she was puking up blood.

"Carrots?"

Judy turned her head in shock, and stared in horror at Nick standing in front of her, some blood dripping down her chin.

"N-Nick! I swear, this isn't what it looks like. I-I'm fine, I promise!" She stammered

"Judy, how long has this been going on?"

"It's just started, I swear!" She turned, and released another mouthful of blood into the toilet. This continued for a few more moments, until she started to become fatigued.

Nick knew this wasn't the case. He could see through most lies, having 20 years of street smarts behind him, and an additional seven on the Force. And having been married to Judy for five years, he knew she when she was lying. And it also helped that she was a terrible liar. "Tell me the truth, Judy. _How long has this been going on_?" Nick said, a tone of anger creeping into his voice.

Judy gulped. "A-a couple of weeks…"

" _And you didn't tell me!?"_ Nick raised his voice.

"I… didn't want you to worry…" Judy looked down.

" _Judy, this is_ _ **serious**_! _Of course I would worry, because I'm your husband! It's my job to take care of you!_ If… anything were to happen to you, I…" Nick broke down crying. "Why… why did you lie to me…"

Judy began to cry a little too. "I'm sorry, Nick. I'm so sorry… I just…" She couldn't finish, she knew she couldn't justify it.

After a moment, Nick collected himself. "When you're done, I'm going to take you to the doctor, no ifs, ands, or buts about it." He told her firmly.

"There's no need, I've already gone and seen him…" she said meekly.

"What did he say?" Nick asked, with notable concern in his voice.

"He… he said… that it's only going to get worse from here on out. I'm so sorry Nick, I know should've told you, I just… didn't know how to tell you…"

Nick just stared at her for a moment, before putting his face in his paws and letting out a tiny whimper. He then took a deep breath and collected himself once more. "Get done with your shower, and then we're calling your parents, and you **are** going to tell them what happened. I've been talking to them, and they said you were supposed to talk to me about when you were going to go back to Bunnyburrow, but you've been avoiding it, telling them that we've been too busy. So not only did you lie to me, but to your Mother and Father too. For shame, Judy." As he left the room and shut the door, he heard Judy cry. He had mixed feelings. While he knew it was the right thing to do, he felt he was a little bit too harsh. Did he let his emotions get the best of him? Nick sat on the bed, and felt a tinge of regret. He thought how uncharacteristic it was of him it was to lash out at her like that, especially since it was someone he'd known for so long. It definitely wasn't going to be easy telling Judy's parents what he'd discovered, especially when he had to tell them she was hiding it from them. He sighed, deciding to wait until Judy got out of the shower to call her parents. He figured it would be much easier on all of them if he did.

Judy couldn't lift her head. Not due to exhaustion, but guilt. She knew she was wrong for lying. She heard the door shut, but she stayed by the toilet for a moment and cried. She cried because things had been going so well, but now that was going to fall apart. She cried because she heard the disappointment in Nick's voice. She cried because she knew her parents would be disappointed in her too, and because they would definitely be upset to learn that she was vomiting blood. And she cried because she knew that she had hurt Nick by keeping something so important from him. He was right for being mad. She knew vomiting blood in any situation is very serious, something that shouldn't be hidden from your significant other. She could only pray that Nick would forgive her.

She climbed into the shower and turned on the water as hot as she could stand it, and let the hot water soothe her. While it made her feel better physically, it didn't calm her down emotionally. She begun to dread having to call her parents, and she knew Nick wouldn't let her get out of it. She took her time, mulling over what she could tell her parents, how she could put it as gently as possible to them. She knew they wouldn't take it very well, no matter how she put it. Maybe Nick should handle it, she thought, washing herself. Maybe he'd be able to phrase it in a desirable way with his charisma. But then again, he was obviously mad at her, so there was little chance of that.

She stayed in the shower until the water had turned cold, it was at that point she knew she couldn't stall anymore. As she got out of the shower, she listened for any sounds of a conversation. Much to her surprise, she didn't hear anything of the sort. She dried off, got dressed and exited the bathroom to see Nick sitting on the bed, phone in paw. Judy sighed. "Okay, let's get this over with…"

She sat down beside him as he entered her parent's phone number and hit the video call button. After a few seconds, they picked up.

"Hello again Nick. Hey Judy, how are things going?" Bonnie greeted them, with Stu right next to her.

Nick sighed, and gave Judy an expectant look.

Judy hesitated. "Well… things are… erm…"

"I just caught her puking up blood in the bathroom." Nick interjected.

"Nick!" Judy cried, even though she knew that she didn't have any right to protest.

"Oh gosh… t-that's serious! Why's she not going to the hospital!?" Stu said, in a near-panic.

"She said that she's already gone and talked to the doctor about it. _Behind my back_. Isn't that right, Judy?" Nick said matter-of-factly.

"Yes…" Judy said meekly. "He said that it's because of the progression of the cancer, and…" She began to choke up a little, but managed to contain herself. "And that things aren't going to get better."

"My God…" Stu murmured. "When did this start?"

"A couple of weeks ago. Whenever I try to eat anything big, I puke it up a few minutes later, with blood." Judy explained.

"So _that's_ why you haven't been eating much!" Nick said suddenly, realizing that's probably the reason why she hasn't been eating much

"Judy, this is serious. Why haven't you told Nick? Why haven't you told us?" Bonnie asked.

"I didn't want you guys to worry about me." Judy said, bowing her head.

"We've been worried ever since you told us you had cancer! And it wasn't helped by the fact that you haven't called us in so long! We were beginning to fear the worst!" Stu scolded her.

"I know! I know… It… was wrong of me. I should've told you all as soon as it happened…" Judy said, her voice breaking as she once again began to cry.

"So… what now?" Nick asked.

"I think it's time for Judy to come back home to the Burrows." Stu answered, with Bonnie nodding in agreement.

" _ **WHAT!?**_ " Judy cried out.

"I agree"

Judy turned to Nick in shock. "Nick…"

"Firstly, the Doctor **did** say that things aren't going to get any better, so it'd be best if you are with your family so they can take care of you. Second, there's _no way_ Bogo's gonna let you stay on the job now. He's probably bent the rules already by letting you stay on so far, but he won't openly defy them by letting an officer that is literally **puking up blood** stay on the job. He'll have no choice but to put you on medical leave when he finds out. And he _**will**_ find out. I'm going to tell him, because you have proven that _**you can't be trusted to do that yourself**_." Nick explained, his tone growing increasingly more reproachful. "I've covered for you time and time again, Judy. But I have to put my foot down now. _We're cops, for God's sake!_ We can't keep bending and breaking the rules as if they don't apply to us!" Nick took a deep breath and collected himself. "And lastly, you can't afford to stress yourself out with work. It'll only make things worse. You'll literally be working yourself to death! I **won't** let that happen!"

Judy began breathing fast, tears streaming down her face. "No! No! Nick, please!" She pleaded.

Nick shook his head. "I _**am**_ going to take you back home to Bunnyburrow, period. You're not going to change my mind. You owe it to your family."

Bonnie and Stu simply sat and watched the spectacle unfold, with Judy crying, pleading with Nick. But no matter how much begged him, he refused to budge. After a while, Judy crumpled into a sobbing heap, leaving Nick alone to talk to her parents. They felt a little guilty, but they knew Judy probably would've reacted this way even if the circumstances were better

"When should I bring her?" Nick asked Judy's parents.

"Preferably in a couple of days, that way we have time to set up everything that we might need" Bonnie told him.

"That works. I'll talk to our Chief tomorrow and let him know about Judy's symptoms, and start packing. We'll probably have to go and say goodbye to our friends and co-workers. It's… probably going to be difficult for everyone…" Nick sighed.

"Thank you so much, Nick. We know this has to be hard for you." Stu said.

"I'm not happy about this, but you're her parents, and as such, I'll honor your wishes." Nick told them.

As they hung up, he turned to Judy, who was still crying softly. "I still _cannot_ believe that you lied to me, and to your own parents. I'm so disappointed in you…" He told her. He then walked into their bedroom, and came back holding a pillow and blanket, and tossed them beside her. "You're sleeping on the couch tonight, I can't share a bed with someone who shows such a disregard for their husband, and their own parents. _Especially_ when they swore to uphold honesty and integrity." He said in a rebuking tone.

As he walked into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him, Judy buried her face into the pillow and let out another gasping sob. Everything was falling apart for her. She wished she could just disappear, to phase out of existence one way or another. As much as she tried, she couldn't be mad at Nick. She knew that his anger was justified. She didn't deserve any sympathy or pity, she had made her bed, and now she has to lie in it…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

She couldn't sleep. It's not that the couch was uncomfortable, but she was just too much of an emotional wreck to sleep. She could only stare at the digital clock on the microwave in their kitchen as the hours went by. 10 O'clock. 11 O'clock. 12 O'clock midnight. At that time, she got up and checked their bedroom door, hoping that Nick would at least let her sleep with him. She found the door to be locked. She considered knocking, but decided against it. She didn't want to wake Nick up in the middle of the night and make him even angrier.

As she laid back down on the couch, she couldn't help but think about the look on his face when he discovered she was keeping her health a secret. She had only seen that look once before, eight years ago… the day of the press conference, after they had discovered all those savage mammals, and got Mayor Lionheart arrested. That look of pure hurt and betrayal was etched into her brain, and she never forgot it. And now, she had seen it once again. She had hurt and betrayed him once again, but over something even more serious… Slowly, she started to cry. She cried and cried, until she couldn't cry anymore. Finally, just as the clock struck 1:00 AM, she drifted off to sleep.

She awoke not to an alarm clock, or Nick's voice, but the screeching brakes of a train. She was confused, as she had no memory of getting on a train. After looking out the window, she realized she was in the place she spent her childhood, Bunnyburrow. She looked next to her and found Nick in the seat next to her. He was looking straight forward, not acknowledging her or anything else. She touched his arm gently. "Nick?"

He didn't reply. Instead, he took her suitcase out of the overhead compartment and began walking off of the train, since they had arrived at their destination.

"Nick, what's going on?"

Without turning his head, he gave a response. "You know exactly what's going on Judy. Now **come. On.** " His tone was unusually harsh. In fact, Judy had never heard him be _that_ harsh before. It was clear that he was still very angry at her. Not wanting to anger him even further, the got up and followed right behind him.

As she exited the train behind Nick, she saw some of her family, including her parents, waiting for her. She embraced them, and several of her siblings joined in, hugging her. When they finally let go, she turned around, expecting Nick to be next to her. Instead, he was walking away from her. "Wait, where are you going?"

He turned around and made eye contact with Judy."I'm leaving you here. Where you belong."

"What!?" She cried out, as tears began to form in her eyes.

"I'm going, Judy. And there is nothing you can do to stop me." He said darkly.

"Why?! What did I do!?"

Nick's face became visibly enraged. " **You know** _ **exactly**_ **what you did! You** _ **lied**_ **to me.** "

"I'm sorry, Nick! Please, don't leave!" She begged him.

Nick simply shook his head. "'Sorry' isn't going to cut it this time. I accepted 'sorry' eight years ago under that bridge. I won't make that mistake a second time." He began walking back towards the train.

"Nick, please! Don't go!" Tears ran down her face as she ran towards Nick, trying to stop him from leaving. She tripped before she could make it to him though, and she looked up at Nick, standing in the doorway of the train.

"Goodbye, Judy." The door closed, and the train began on its way.

" _ **Nick! Noooo!"**_ Judy screamed, helpless to stop the train as it pulled away. She could only watch as it disappeared from view.

Judy gasped and bolted upright, tears streaming down her cheeks, and found herself on the couch. She realized it was just a dream. _Or nightmare_ … she thought. It was still dark outside. She looked at the clock. It read 4:30 AM. She sighed and tried to go back to sleep, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't.

She thought about going to sleep with Nick. That might calm her nerves. She got up, and slowly approached the bedroom door, careful not to make too much noise. She tried the doorknob carefully, and felt that it was still locked. Disappointed, she began walking back when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Realizing what was about to happen, she ran over to the kitchen sink and started vomiting blood. It hurt like hell, like someone was pushing a knife into her belly, but she couldn't stop, no matter how hard she tried. After a few minutes, it stopped, and she started quietly sobbing to herself as she washed the blood down the sink. Slowly, she maneuvered her exhausted body back to the couch, and collapsed onto it. As exhausted as she was, she _still_ couldn't sleep. She had never felt more miserable, both physically and emotionally, in her entire life. She didn't feel this bad even when Nick walked out on her all those years ago. She began to sob louder, until, mercifully, she passed out.

*The next morning…*

Nick woke to the distant rumble of thunder. He got out of bed and peeked out the window, and saw dark clouds in the distance. "Another one of those days…" He grumbled to himself. As he walked past the alarm clock, he saw it tick to 7:30 AM. The first thing he did once he left the bedroom was check on Judy, who was seemingly out cold. She looked awful; Her fur was matted, pajamas all wrinkled, and lying in an odd position. Nick felt a tinge of concern, and guilt. Maybe he had been too harsh on her. She obviously had spent most of the night upset. He gently placed a paw on her shoulder. "Judy? Carrots? You alright?"

She woke with a start. "Huh-? Wha-?" As soon as she saw it was only Nick, she relaxed slightly. "Oh… y-yeah… I'm okay."

Something was wrong. He could tell by she sound of her voice, and by the way her eyes were bloodshot, as if she had been crying.

"I can tell something's wrong Judy. What is it?"

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong…" Her eyes began to tear up.

"Judy, please, don't do this again. Please, tell me." Nick said, kneeling down and putting a paw on her shoulder.

She took a deep breath, and let it back out. "O-okay. Last night, I… couldn't sleep. I just cried… because I just felt so awful… awful for lying to you. For keeping secrets. For going behind your back. When I finally managed to get to sleep, I had this… awful dream. I… dreamt that you took me to Bunnyburrow and… and left me there…" She began choking up. "You… left me… alone… because of what I did…" She broke down sobbing, and buried her face in Nick's chest. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, please don't leave me! Please…"

Nick didn't know what to say. His feeling of guilt grew as he did his best to comfort her. "Judy… I would never leave you like that. You lied to me about your condition, but you're still my wife. Just because I'm mad at you, doesn't mean I don't love you." He grasped her paw gently. "I love you more than anything in the world. I will _**never**_ leave you, I promise." Nick hugged her and sighed. "I guess I did overreact a little."

"No, you didn't. You were right to be mad. I shouldn't have lied. I'm sorry." She said, her voice still quivering.

"Shhhhh, it's okay. I forgive you." He said as he gently stroked the back of her head. "I love you, Judy, and I always will."

"I love you too… so much…" She said softly, her head still buried into his chest.

A loud crack of thunder made them both jump. They both sat in silence for a moment, waiting for the ringing in their ears to stop. Judy looked out the window, watching the rain fall down over the city, and sighed. "It looks like a good day to just stay inside and sleep in…"

"We can't." Nick said, shaking his head. "We've got to call Buffalo Butt and let him know that we're leaving in a couple days, and pack some of our things that we need to take."

Judy's heart sank. Nick hadn't changed his mind as she had fooled herself into hoping he did. When he said he would do something, he always meant it. She knew that, but she had hoped he had changed his mind. "Oh… yeah…" She said, doing her best to hide her disappointment.

Nick gave her a knowing look. "I promised your mom and dad I would take you back to Bunnyburrow, and I'm not going to break that promise."

Judy didn't reply, she just parted with him and sat down on the couch, her lack of sleep already getting to her.

Nick sighed, and walked into the kitchen to make breakfast. Just as he was about to make Judy's breakfast, he came to the realization that he had no idea what Judy could eat without vomiting blood later. "Judy!" He called out to her.

"What?" She asked.

"Did the Doctor say what you can eat?" He said, peering back into the living room.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to think. "Um… lots of milk, yogurt, and cheese, he said I need the protein. Cabbage, broccoli, pretty much any leafy green vegetable. Oh, but not too much of them. He said the fiber could be hard on me stomach. Erm… also, he said that most of my meals should be "bland foods", like… crackers and bread… oh, and oatmeal… and white pasta. That's all I can think of right now, I'm really tired."

Nick opened their pantry and looked to see if they had any of those things. They had oatmeal and some pasta, but that was pretty much it. "Is oatmeal alright?"

Judy could only muster a weak "Uh-huh", clearly about to doze off.

Nick shrugged, and begun boiling some water for the oatmeal. He was never really a fan of it, it was much too bland for his tastes, but he figured since Judy had to eat it, he would too. He added a pinch of sugar and cinnamon, to give it some flavor. Once it was done, he stuck a spoon in the pot and tried some. _It's missing something…_ he thought. He looked over at a jar of blueberries on the countertop. _Ah, of course! How could I forget those?_ He added a pawful to the pan and stirred until the oatmeal was a bluish-purple color. He tried another spoonful. _Perfect!_

He made a bowl for each of them and brought them into the living room. Nick sat them down on the coffee table and attempted to gently wake Judy up. She still was still startled, but relaxed quickly once she realized it was Nick. He gave her a bowl once she sat up, but instead of eating, she just stared at it, moving it around with her spoon.

"What's wrong Carrots? It's just oatmeal." Nick said.

"Why is it that color?" Judy asked, still hesitant to put some in her mouth.

"I added some blueberries to the mix, of that's okay with you."

"Well it's fine, I know you love them so much, but why?" She asked.

Nick shrugged. "Something just... told me to, I guess."

Judy hesitantly took a bite, and her face changed from reluctance to pleasant surprise. "Wow, this is really good!" She began to dig in, and finished the entire bowl before Nick was even halfway done with his. "Is there any more?"

Nick chuckled. Judy always had a really big appetite, especially for someone of her size. "There's more in the kitchen, help yourself."

She took her bowl with her into the kitchen and came back with it full to the brim, almost overflowing. As she began scarfing it down, Nick realized that this was unusual, even for her.

"Judy, please be honest with me. How much have you eaten in the past few days?" he asked.

Judy's spoon halted mid-scoop. She bowed her head, ears drooping. "Not much… some crackers… a few carrots here and there. Definitely not enough. I know, I know, I need much more now. But every time I eat something, it feels like someone is stabbing me in the gut, and I puke up blood a little while later. I figure that if I don't eat much, it won't be that much of a problem."

"No wonder you're eating like you haven't seen food in months." Nick shook his head. "You should've told me sooner, I would've bought you some food that wouldn't have given you problems, you know that-!" Nick caught himself, and took a deep breath. "Nevertheless, now that I know, I'm going to make sure you eat as much as you can. You can't afford to neglect your nutrition, especially now. I'll talk to the doctor to see if there's anything he can do."

Judy simply nodded, and went back to eating, albeit with much less enthusiasm.

Once they were finished, Nick took their bowls back to the kitchen, and came back holding his cellphone. Judy's heart sank, as she knew what was going to happen next.

Nick seemed to notice. "I have to do this, Judy. I'm sorry." He pressed call, and it began ringing. It rang and rang for what seemed like ages. Judy hoped that the it would go to voicemail, or drop out, or something, _anything_. Much to her dismay, Bogo's voice came through on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Chief, it's Wilde. I'm afraid I have some bad news." Nick said, a serious tone in his voice.

"What is it?" Bogo asked, sounding concerned.

"It's about Judy's condition. Last night, I found her vomiting blood last night-"

"Good God, is she alright!? And how long has this been happening!?" Bogo interrupted.

"Yes, she's been to the doctor, and it's just a symptom of the cancer progressing. It's not... _immediately_ life threatening. And…" Nick hesitated. He gave Judy a brief look, before continuing. "...It just started last night."

Judy looked up at Nick, shocked.

"I see... thank you for informing me of this, Wilde. But I'm afraid that I'm going to have to get an official statement from your doctor to confirm that she can't report for duty if you want paid leave." Bogo explained. "Sorry, it's protocol."

"I figured as much." Nick grumbled. "I'll call our doctor and see if he can send me the documents you need, and give it to you tomorrow. Judy's family wants me to take her home to them, and I have to respect their wishes."

"I understand. Thank you for letting me know. And… I'm sorry that this is happening to you both." He said, with an emotional tone in his voice.

Nick smiled a little. "Thanks Chief." After he hung up, he noticed that Judy was still looking at him in shock. "What?"

"You said you weren't going to lie to him…"

A sly smile appeared on Nick's muzzle. "Technically Carrots, I didn't. I still told him, didn't I? It wouldn't change anything, anyway." He said matter-of-factly.

Judy began to smile as well. " _Sly fox…_ " She yawned loudly, exhaustion taking hold once more.

Nick sat down beside her. "Tired?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes.

"Alright, come here." Nick said, patting his lap.

Judy crawled into his lap, and laid her head on his chest. Outside, it began to rain. The sound, mixed with the steady beating of Nick's heart, and his slow breathing, was incredibly relaxing to Judy. Nick wrapped his arms around her and started rubbing the back of her head with with one paw. Her eyelids felt heavy. The last thing she heard before the tug of sleep pulled her under was Nick whispering in her ear.

"I love you, my sweet. I will never, ever, leave you…"

A strange sound woke her up from her deep, dreamless sleep. The sound of a… Printer? She opened her eyes and saw Nick on their PC, printing out something. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Nick glanced behind him. "Just printing out the paperwork we need. I called the doctor while you were sleeping, and he was about to email me the things we need to give to Bogo."

"Wow. I was expecting us having to go to his office and pick it up the old-fashioned way." Judy said.

"God bless technology." Nick said with a chuckle.

Judy sat up and stretched. "How long was I out for?"

"Over three hours." Nick answered. "It's a little after noon."

There was a distant rumble of thunder, and only then Judy became aware that it was still raining, based of the sound of it hitting the apartment window. "Jeez, it's still raining out there?"

"Yeah… It's expected to pass in a few hours though." Nick replied.

Judy sighed. "So… what now?"

"We've got to start packing soon. Not right at this very moment, but soon."

Another confirmation that Nick hadn't changed his mind. Judy knew she was foolish for continuing to hope that he would just change his mind. And she knew that trying to talk to him about it would be futile. A look of visible disappointment formed on her face. Nick noticed this look, and quickly tried to find out a solution.

"Judy, what's wrong? he asked.

"Nick… It's just that…" She began to tear up again. "I'm not ready to leave…"

"I'm so sorry Judy, but your parents have been wanting you home for a while now, and I need to listen to them. You need to go home."

"Just a little longer, please!" She begged, dropping on her knees. "Please, _please!_ "

Nick groaned, clearly breaking under her pitiful pleading, along with the guilt of his behavior the night before. " _ **Alright!**_ " he burst out. "Alright… I guess… I can tell your parents that we're going to take a day around the city to see the sights one last time, and say goodbye to our friends. We've got to go and give that paperwork to Bogo tomorrow, anyway. Maybe this will work out, after all."

Judy jumped up and embraced Nick. "Thank you so much!" she cried.

Nick returned the embrace. "You're welcome, Carrots. I love you, don't you ever forget that…"


End file.
